Nicaragua!

After Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, I'm finally in a cheap country again! Maybe I can get my budget back on track. Hello Nicaragua.

There was no way to get across the border from Monteverde the same day so I decided to stop a night at the closest border town, La Cruz. It was a bit of a disaster. I arrived at 10pm when everything was closed. Then, like a scene out of a comedy film, there was a crack of thunder and it started pouring with rain the instant I stepped off the bus. After waiting for 30 minutes, I had not seen a taxi and the road had turned into a small stream. There was nothing for it, I was going to have to make a run for it. This is easier said than done with 20kgs of stuff on your back...

By this time lots of people had gathered in the bus stop to take refuge from the downpour, and they all had a good chuckle as I attempted to put my poncho on over my backpack. Someone had directed me to a guesthouse only 300 meters away so it wasn't going to be a long walk but after about 52 seconds I was soaked through. Just as I was cursing my luck, the power for the entire town went out. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was so dark I couldn't even see my own feet, let alone the road that I was supposed to be walking along. Perfect.

I pretty much stepped in every pot hole in the road (which by then were like small ponds) and when the power came on and I realised I was in some one's front garden. I finally made it to the guesthouse and spent the rest of the night hanging all my stuff around the room in a poor attempt to dry it before leaving in the morning.

The border crossing at Penas Blancas is ridiculous. Costa Rican immigration and Nicaraguan immigration are 1km apart along a straight road. This is the same road that all the cargo trucks drive along. And it is made of mud. And it's rainy season. The result is a 1km walk through thick brown sludge, reminiscent of the cargo net crawl in an army assault course. Highlights of this beautiful walk included the burnt out hulk of a cargo truck and hordes of people offering to fill out my immigration card for me, "you just need to give me your passport". It was magical.

On the plus side, I didn't have any problems getting through customs. I think they will let anyone into the country, as long as they pay the whopping $12 entry fee. It will even itself out though - 45 minute bus to the next town, 50cts. Bottle of beer after clearing immigration, 50cts. Lovely.

Ziplining through the treetops in Monteverde

Ziplining through the jungle, what a genius idea!

This was my main motivation for visiting the country town of Monteverde. The area was put on the map when a group of Quakers set up shop there in the 1950's. These Quakers are not the people who make tasty oats, they are the group known as the Religious Society of Friends.

First I had to get there from La Fortuna, and there was a big lake blocking my path. In fact it was the largest man-made lake in Central America, created to run enough hydro-electric dams to power most of the country. All energy in Costa Rica is from renewable sources, a surprising fact for a country in this part of the world. Anyway, it was still in the way, forcing me to make a seven hour bus ride. Until I found out you could take a boat across it! Not only did this cut four hours from the journey, it also provided beautiful scenery.

Monteverde has a large amount of nocturnal animals so I went on a night walk into the forest. We saw some monkeys, but I was bored of them by that point, and was glad when we came across this mean snake.

The highly venomous Green Pit Viper, curled up in the attack position, ready to snatch any unsuspecting mouse or frog that may pass underneath it. If you get bitten by this snake you have four hours to get to a doctor. After that you are dead. If you are fortunate enough to get there in under four hours, but after two, you will only lose whatever limb you were bitten on. If you want to come away with your whole body intact, you need to get medical attention within two hours. And not be allergic to Green Pit Viper venom.

Other highlights were this weird leaf-like insect, and a huge tarantula.

The next day was ziplining day - 3.5km of ziplines, 17 platforms, a Tarzan swing and one section that was 880 meters long. Top speed is 50kmph on that bad boy. The brake? A gardening glove with some leather glued to it. Not much needs to be said - it was awesome!

I'd planned to leave the next morning but for some bizarre reason there wasn't a bus until 4pm. I asked the woman on the front desk what I could do to amuse myself for six hours. Walking in the forest - done. Ziplining - done. A monkey house - done! She then half-suggested climbing a huge tree, in an apologetic tone, as though it was the lamest suggestion ever. Little did she know, there are few things that I like more than climbing trees!

Just out of the village there is a huge 30 meter high tree. I say tree, it is actually a strangler fig which once enveloped a huge tree, killed it off and now lives in its place. The result is a huge hollow tunnel, stretching 30 meters in the air. Climbing through it made me feel like a character in The Faraway Tree, probably the best set of children's stories ever written, a dream I'd always wanted to live out. There was no magic world at the top, and I didn't meet Moonface, but I did return with a big smile on my face.

I killed some more time aimlessly wandering around the countryside. Or so I thought until I found the Monteverde Cheese Factory! This would have been special under normal circumstances but in a continent where cheese has as much taste as a piece of laminated paper, I was over the moon. I was not disappointed, they had some sharp Cheddar! I ate the whole block for lunch.

Well, that was my last Costa Rican destination. Off to Nicaragua! Here are some more ziplining pics!

The route up - a shaky climb.

The route down - a huge drop on a rappel.

Having a rest in a tree after chasing a monkey.

Off we go!

Life in the trees - happy times!

Earthquakes and Volcanoes - La Fortuna

I'm snoozing away in the balmy Costa Rican sunshine...dreaming about being a small bird...and BOOM!

I'm jolted awake as the bus lurches violently to the right. Everyone screams. Just as I think its going to tip over, it rights itself and screeches to a halt. Is the bus driver totally wasted? It would not be a first in Latin America. But why is the bus shaking?

Turns out I was experiencing an earthquake, 7.6 magnitude. The epicentre was on the other side of the country, but it felt pretty strong from where I was sitting!

It was slightly worrying, therefore, that I was heading to the town of La Fortuna - at the foot of the most active volcano in Costa Rica. Volcan Arenal used to make small eruptions every 20 minutes but it has calmed down over the last two years. We thought we might see some action as the earthquake broke a sizable piece off the crater rim and caused a few landslides, but there were no major fireworks.

The volcano is beautiful. You can't climb it, but you can walk through the forest surrounding it to a lookout point. From the lookout point you can also see the site of the town of Pueblo Nuevo, buried under 25 meters of volcanic rock from the last major eruption in 1968.

The forest contained lots of wildlife. As usual I saw lots of monkeys. I seem to see monkeys every day in this part of the world! I began to understand why the locals wonder what we find so interesting about these animals they see all the time. It would be like a tourist getting excited about seeing a dairy cow. Or a sparrow.

We saw some wild turkeys, which reminded me of The Hunger Games (the book I've just finished reading). I couldn't help wondering if I could survive in the trees hunting wild animals while people tried to kill me. I decided that I would back myself to prevail. The best thing we saw was the red-eyed tree frog. It had no problem sitting in my hand while we took pictures and nonchalantly hopped back onto a leaf when we left.

We visited a nice refreshing waterfall and myself and Jelle (from Germany) jumped in. I tried to stand under the fall but it was so powerful it squished me into the water.

A fairly scary thing was that the earthquake had caused a landslide on the bank of the waterfall. If we'd been there a few hours earlier we'd have been dodging boulders!

At night we found ourselves drinking vodka in some hot springs with a few locals, torches and stars providing the lighting. Lovely end to a lovely day.

The next day I rented a bike and biked out to a good spot to take a picture of the volcano. Unfortunately the clouds weren't playing ball. After waiting for a good amount of time they finally shifted enough to get a semi-good picture.

After biking back in the blazing sun, I needed to cool down. Someone had told me about a swimming hole complete with rope swing. Whoever had that idea is an absolute legend!

Next stop Monteverde. In the meantime, here is a picture of the mountains they call The Sleeping Indian. And another picture of the frog.

Saving the turtles in Tortuguero...

Watching a 100kg turtle emerge from the water, struggle up the beach, dig a huge hole, lay 120 eggs the size of ping-pong balls, fill the hole in and dig another one (to confuse predators) is a magical experience.

I had journeyed to the tiny town of Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast. This took two days, four buses and a boat. Worst of all, I had to spend a night in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Unless you are looking for a prostitute or a gunshot wound, I can't recommend it.

Most people come to Tortuguero for the turtles, but there is also a huge amount of other wildlife to see. I went on a boat ride around the Rio Tortuguero and saw everything from Iguanas to Howling Monkeys. There are two iguanas in the picture below, can you spot them....

...how about the one in this picture?

My favourite was the Green-backed Heron, who hunts fish by catching an insect, placing it in the water and then swooping down on any fish that tries to eat the insect. This bird is cleverer than me.

I also got heavily rained on and broke out the Machu Picchu poncho for its second use. Five Nuevo Soles well spent.

During the day I wandered round the jungle in Tortuguero National Park. The park mainly protects the sections of the beach in which the turtles lay their eggs, but also a huge area of rainforest which is largely unexplored. I immediately become at least five times more interested in something when people start using words like "unexplored" or "unclimbed", so I set off for a walk. I hoped that if I was really lucky I'd see a couple of iguanas, of maybe even a monkey. Well I saw more wildlife than I have seen in some zoos!

While I was still on  the fringes of the jungle, right next to the town, a group of howler monkeys swung through the trees above me. It turns out it's not that hard to spot monkeys because they leave a path of destruction wherever they go! They sometimes try their weight on branches before they climb on them, in case they are too weak to take their weight. This results in a load of weak branches being snapped off and thrown down to the ground - no matter who is standing underneath. I tried not to take it personally.

Going further in I saw a few families of white-faced monkeys, who were the most inquisitive. They sometimes came down from the tops of the trees to have a look at me, before bounding back up again and throwing discarded bits of fruit in my direction. Cheeky monkeys.

I saw lots of Iguanas and lizards scurrying away from my footsteps as I wandered around, and even a snake. Although it was so fast I didn't even get to see its head. There were lots of beautiful butterflies floating around and I saw an unidentified cat running into the bushes. The park ranger said this was probably an ocelot, but I only saw it for a quarter of a second so I am not counting it as a sighting!

By nightfall I was itching to see some turtles! We headed out at about 8pm and wandered down to the beach. The turtles that are nesting now are the huge Green Turtles. They weigh between 90kg and 120kg when hauling themselves up the beach to lay their eggs. Each female can lay up to 140 eggs in one night, a feat she manages between five and eight times per season. She first digs a big hole, about a foot deep and five feet in diameter, before climbing in and digging a small shoe-box size chamber for the eggs. After laying the eggs, she covers them with sand, then covers the hole, and digs another just like it to confuse predators. After about two hours, she struggles back to the water and swims off, exhausted.

It really was a fantastic thing to see. We were then told that only one in 1,000 hatchlings survives. After hearing this I had a sudden urge to save the turtles, so bought a turtle sticker for $5 to donate some money. This was a better use of my money than paying $9 for a cup of coffee. I'm still annoyed about that.

No hanging around, I got in a taxi and hightailed it down the river to the town of Cariari. Next were several buses to the town of La Fortuna, home of the most active volcano in Costa Rica. Hopefully I'll get to see some lava! Ciao for now.

A nice little church in Tortuguero.

Fine dining by the river for $5.

The Iguana game again - can you spot the female...

...and this picture contains a Jesus Christ Lizard, names so because they can run on water, but can you spot it?

A couple of swallows survey the backpackers paddling past.

A large heron dries its wings in the sun after catching a fish.

Into the jungle!

A huge butterfly with an eye design.

A white-faced monkey lounging around, watching me sweat my way through the jungle!

Surfing by the jungle - Pavones

Not many things are more exhilarating than sliding down a huge roaring green wave, with the power to knock down a large house, on a small piece of polystyrene.

Destination Pavones - home of one of the largest left-hand surf breaks in the world (just to be clear, that is not me in the picture above, but we had the same size waves). However, we have to rewind a bit. I still had a border to cross.

As usual, this was a nightmare. But I accept partial responsibility this time. Coming into Costa Rica you have to provide evidence of your onward travel arrangements out of the country. For me this is likely to be a $1 chicken-bus to the boarder with Nicaragua and then a short walk - not the kind of thing you can book online. While this is annoying, it is not unusual, I should have bought a return bus ticket or something. As I got to the window and lined up, I saw that they were asking for people's flight/bus itineraries. I hastily hand-wrote a made-up flight itinerary to Colombia with flight times, a reservation code and even a 2-hour stopover in Panama city to make it more convincing. It took the boarder guard about 2.6 seconds to laugh in my face and tell me to provide her with a printed itinerary. Arse.

Complicating matters further was the fact that I'd already cleared immigration out of Panama - I was now stuck in no-man's land! OK, I wasn't really stuck, because the boarder is about as heavily patrolled as my local post office, but it was a pain in the ass walking 1km back into Panama (in 35 degree heat) to look for an internet cafe. Thirty minutes, and some serious photo-shopping later, I possessed a moderately-convincing printed flight itinerary. The boarder guard probably didn't believe it was real but, since I had lost about half my body weight walking around in the searing heat with my full backpack, she let me through. I got a 25 day visa - you normally get 90.

After all this messing around at the border, I missed the last bus to Pavones so had to spend a night in the town of Golfito. I can't recommend it. The place is full of strange, dingy, "karaoke" bars. There are about ten of them, which seems like overkill for a tiny town of 2,000 people. They also have big boards blocking the view from the street. This made me think that they were strip bars, but how could there be that much demand? I was so intrigued that I considered going into one to have a look. The band of drunk indigenous people lying outside each one made me change my mind. The mystery remains unsolved.

I got up bright and early the next morning to catch the first bus to Pavones. After bumping along some dirt roads for three hours we stopped at a broken bridge and everyone got off the bus. "Is this Pavones?" I asked. "Well, kinda", Pavones was another 8km down the road, the bridge had recently broken and that was as far as the bus was going. Everyone started walking so I followed. Words cannot describe how hot this country is - it was midday and about 40 degrees in the shade. Walking with my 20kg backpack was not fun. After about 4km I took a rest/passed out on a bridge and was offered a lift by a local woman. After convincing myself she wasn't a mirage I jumped in and was driven along the lovely beachside track to Pavones.

Now, I wasn't actually planning to stay in Pavones, but the neighbouring village of Punta Banco, where someone had recommended a great place to stay. My guidebook described the walk between the two villages as "a nice long stroll", so I strolled off. I still wasn't there 30 minutes later and was about to pass out again. Just as I was ruing not staying in Pavones, a quadbike skidded to a halt behind me. It was a local surfer named Clay, who chucked my backpack on the front of the quadbike, me on the back and then sped me to my destination. It was 5km in total. I would probably still be there if he hadn't come along.

I arrived at Rancho Burica, built by 21 Dutch friends after a couple of them discovered the area while backpacking. The place is literally at the end of the road, right on the beach, and on the fringe of the jungle. From that point it is rainforest all the way to Panama.

This is the best accommodation I've stayed in on this trip. I had the Jungle Lodge all to myself - a top-floor, wooden room with double bed, balcony and hammock overlooking the jungle.

The wildlife was ridiculous. Just lying in the hammock I saw squirrel monkeys, bright red macaws, scorpions, bats, hundreds of weird crabs and the odd snake. You'd normally pay mucho dinero to see all that. And you'd have to get off your ass to do it!

But the main reason I'd come was to surf this famous break! The first day there was no surf, the second it was quite good, but the third day it was huge! The waves were almost three meters high and people from all over the world had come to surf. There were photographers and film crews recording bleached-blond surfers pulling some serious moves. Best waves I've ever surfed. Period.

My camera isn't waterproof so I've stolen the picture below from the internet - the waves were bigger than this.

It was hard to leave but I caught the 5am bus out of there this morning. I am trying to get to a small beach on the Caribbean coast to hopefully see some turtles lay their eggs. I've made it as far as San Jose today, only 3 buses and a boat to go...